Sunday Roast Chicken
The Story
If there's one recipe that defines this whole site, it's this one. A Sunday roast chicken is pure ritual. The smell that fills your kitchen, the golden skin that crackles when you carve it, the way everyone gathers around the table.
I've roasted hundreds of chickens over the years, and I keep coming back to this method. Simple, unfussy, with just enough lemon and herbs to make it sing. The vegetables roast alongside, soaking up all those lovely pan juices.
This is the kind of meal that anchors your week. It's comfort, it's tradition, it's home.
Ingredients
- 1.8kg whole chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- 50g butter, softened
- 800g potatoes, cut into chunks
- 4 carrots, cut into batons
- 2 onions, quartered
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
- Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towel. Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper, then stuff with the lemon halves, garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme.
- Rub the butter all over the chicken skin, then season the outside generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large roasting tin, toss the potatoes, carrots, and onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables.
- Roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting the chicken with the pan juices every 30 minutes or so.
- To check if it's done, pierce the thickest part of the thigh — the juices should run clear. If using a thermometer, it should read 75°C.
- Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving. This lets all the juices redistribute.
- Carve the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables. Spoon over the pan juices and enjoy.
Nutrition
450
Calories
38g
Protein
25g
Carbs
24g
Fat
